دَعِ الخَمْرَ نُصْحُ أَخٍ إِنَّهَا

دَعِ الخَمْرَ نُصْحُ أَخٍ إِنَّهَا

لَتُوهِي القلوبَ وَترْدِي النَّهى

لَتُوهِي القلوبَ وَترْدِي النَّهى

Forsake wine—a brother's counsel—for it

Leave the wine, the advice of a brother,

surely weakens hearts and ruins reason.

It confuses hearts and leads virtue astray,

وَحَيْثُ وَجَدْتَ دَمَاراً وَبُؤْساً

وَحَيْثُ وَجَدْتَ دَمَاراً وَبُؤْساً

وَلَمْ تَدرِ مَأْتَاهُما ظُنَّهَا

وَلَمْ تَدرِ مَأْتَاهُما ظُنَّهَا

And wherever you find destruction and misery,

Wherever you find ruin and misery,

and do not know their source, suspect it.

And know not whence they came, suspect it,

أَما هِيَ تِلْكَ الَّتِي خَرَّبَتْ

أَما هِيَ تِلْكَ الَّتِي خَرَّبَتْ

بُيُوتاً بِتَقْويضِهَا رُكْنَهَا

بُيُوتاً بِتَقْويضِهَا رُكْنَهَا

Is it not the one that has ruined

Was it not that which destroyed,

homes by tearing down their mainstay?

Homes by undermining their pillars?

أَما هِيَ تِلْكَ الَّتِي ضَعْضَعَتْ

أَما هِيَ تِلْكَ الَّتِي ضَعْضَعَتْ

شُعُوباً وَدَكَّتْ بِهَا مُدْنَهَا

شُعُوباً وَدَكَّتْ بِهَا مُدْنَهَا

Is it not the one that has shaken

Was it not that which shook,

nations, and within them razed their cities?

Nations and razed their cities?

وَكُلُّ المُرَبِّينَ مِنْ كُلِّ جِيـ

وَكُلُّ المُرَبِّينَ مِنْ كُلِّ جِيـ

ـلٍ وَكُلُّ النَّبِيِّينَ عَنْهَا نَهى

ـلٍ وَكُلُّ النَّبِيِّينَ عَنْهَا نَهى

And all educators of every genera-

All moral guides of every,

-tion, and all prophets, have forbidden it.

Generation, and prophets, warned against it,

وكلُّ أُولِي العزْمِ قَدْ سَبَّهَا

وكلُّ أُولِي العزْمِ قَدْ سَبَّهَا

وَمَا فِي أُولِي الحَزمِ منْ سَنَّهَا

وَمَا فِي أُولِي الحَزمِ منْ سَنَّهَا

And all those of firm resolve have reviled it,

And the resolute bearers of Allah's commands denounced it,

and none among the prudent has made it a custom.

And the wise never sanctioned it,

عَلَيْهَا حُمَاةَ الحِجَى غَارَة

عَلَيْهَا حُمَاةَ الحِجَى غَارَة

فَخَيْرُ أُولِي الفَتْحِ مَنْ شَنَّهَا

فَخَيْرُ أُولِي الفَتْحِ مَنْ شَنَّهَا

Against it, guardians of reason, launch a raid!

The zealous protectors of sanctity attacked it,

For the best of conquerors is the one who launches it.

So the best openers declared war on it,

وَأَلقوا دِرَاكاً بِكَاسَاتِهَا

وَأَلقوا دِرَاكاً بِكَاسَاتِهَا

تُهَاضُ وَلا تَعْصِمُوا دِنَّهَا

تُهَاضُ وَلا تَعْصِمُوا دِنَّهَا

And fling its goblets down in swift succession,

And cast the wine cups away,

to be shattered; and do not spare its wine jar.

Be sacrificed and protect not their faith,

طَلاقاً لِشَمْطَاءَ تُوهِي القُوَى

طَلاقاً لِشَمْطَاءَ تُوهِي القُوَى

وَتُثْكِلُ أُمًّ الوَحِيدِ ابْنَهَا

وَتُثْكِلُ أُمًّ الوَحِيدِ ابْنَهَا

Divorce the gray-haired crone who saps strength,

Divorce the wanton that ruins strength,

and bereaves a mother of her only son.

And makes childless the mother of an only son,

عَجيبٌ تَزَايَدَ عُشَّاقُهَا

عَجيبٌ تَزَايَدَ عُشَّاقُهَا

بِقَدْرِ اسْتِطَالَتِهِمْ سِنَّها

بِقَدْرِ اسْتِطَالَتِهِمْ سِنَّها

Strange that her lovers multiply

How strange that its lovers increase,

in proportion to how old they deem her to be.

With the length of their years,

طَلاقاً بَتَاتاً بِلا رَجْعَةٍ

طَلاقاً بَتَاتاً بِلا رَجْعَةٍ

وَحَسْبُ امرِيءٍ جِنَّةً جِنَّها

وَحَسْبُ امرِيءٍ جِنَّةً جِنَّها

An irrevocable divorce, with no return,

Absolutely, categorically, with no way back,

and her madness is madness enough for anyone.

And suffice a man his own madness,

وَلا تَقْبَلوا تُرَّهَاتِ غُوَاةٍ

وَلا تَقْبَلوا تُرَّهَاتِ غُوَاةٍ

تَرى سُوءهَا وَتَرَى حُسْنَهَا

تَرى سُوءهَا وَتَرَى حُسْنَهَا

And do not accept the nonsense of the misguided,

And accept not the deceits of transgressors,

who see her evil and see her beauty,

Who see its evil and see its good,

تُعَظِّمُ عَنْ سَفَهٍ نَفْعَها

تُعَظِّمُ عَنْ سَفَهٍ نَفْعَها

وَتَرْفَعُ مِنْ ضَعَةٍ شَأْنَهَا

وَتَرْفَعُ مِنْ ضَعَةٍ شَأْنَهَا

out of folly magnify her benefit,

Exaggerate its benefit out of foolishness,

and lift her standing from lowliness.

And elevate its status out of weakness,

أَلَيْسَ لِوَفْرَةٍ أَرْزَائِهَا

أَلَيْسَ لِوَفْرَةٍ أَرْزَائِهَا

تَجَوَّزَ خَالِقُهَا لَعْنَهَا

تَجَوَّزَ خَالِقُهَا لَعْنَهَا

Is it not because of her many calamities

Does not its abundance of harm,

that her Creator has permitted cursing her?

Mean its Creator has cursed it?

فَيَا فِتْيَةَ الخَيْرِ يَا خَيْرَ مَنْ

فَيَا فِتْيَةَ الخَيْرِ يَا خَيْرَ مَنْ

تُقِيمُ بِهِمْ أُمَّةٌ وَزْنَهَا

تُقِيمُ بِهِمْ أُمَّةٌ وَزْنَهَا

So, young men of virtue, O best of those

So O youth of virtue, O best of those,

through whom a nation establishes its worth,

Through whom a nation regains its worth,

لِمِصْرَ بِكُمْ حُسْنُ ظَنٍّ إِذَا

لِمِصْرَ بِكُمْ حُسْنُ ظَنٍّ إِذَا

عَفَفْتُمْ فَلا تُخْلِفُوا ظَنَّها

عَفَفْتُمْ فَلا تُخْلِفُوا ظَنَّها

Egypt has high hopes of you, if

For Egypt, you are of good omen, if,

you abstain; so do not disappoint her hopes.

You are chaste, so do not betray its hopes,